England are just one win away from the Euro 2020 final, and their semi-final match against Denmark on Wednesday night is one that no football fan wants to miss – including small children who should be in bed by the time the match kicks off at 8pm.
And one mum has insisted she won’t be forcing her little ones to miss out on the important game, no matter how exhausted they might be tomorrow.
Jessie Collins said her football-mad son Charlie, eight, put forward an argument she “couldn’t refuse” about why he and his little sister Elise, five, should be allowed to stay up late to watch the game.
The paediatric emergency nurse even plans to throw a party for the “huge football fans” in her family and has shared her “apology in advance” to her children’s teachers, who will have to deal with them tomorrow.
Jessie posted her apology on Facebook, where she wrote: "Dear Miss/Mr, I want to apologise in advance for this Thursday 8th July.
"My children are both likely to be overtired, emotional wrecks and will probably be walking around school in a half-asleep state whilst muttering about three lions under their breath.
"I’m not entirely sure they’ll be their full, sunny best and complicated maths sums will be a no-go zone unless it’s related to the numbers on the back of Southgate’s boy’s shirts.”
The England supporter went on to say her kids could be even more exhausted on Monday, as a win against Denmark will mean a place in the final against Italy on Sunday.
She continued: "Having said that, we might need to consider whether they will even be able to attend school on Monday considering we’re actually physically BRINGING it home on Sunday night. Celebrations are likely to run into the early hours but we can cross that bridge when we come to it, right?
"Thanks for your understanding on the matter. I know we all ultimately want what’s best for the kids and I truly feel that what’s best for them in this situation is to get to live the full ‘ITS COMING HOME’ experience - thus ending the 30 years of hurt they’ve been carrying around with them since before they were born.”
Jessie’s post has already received more than 2,700 comments – and even teachers are admitting their own football-mad kids will be staying up tonight too.
One person said: "Couldn’t agree more. Once in a lifetime opportunity and it will inspire so many kids. Missing one lesson won’t hurt for this."
While another wrote: "Just copied and pasted it and sent it to my kids' schools."
The mother-of-two said that they're all “super excited”, although she feels “a bit sick with nerves” ahead of tonight's match and both her kids went to school today non-stop talking about it.
She said: “I shared the letter because I wanted to make people laugh and make light of the situation all these teachers will be in on Thursday.
"If we get through to the finals on Sunday I have no clue what the kids will be like on Monday but that’s a whole other letter.
"The response has been amazing and some of the comments have made me and my colleagues belly-laugh on my breaks at work - the teacher's comment with her own open letter response made me laugh out loud.
"I’m glad it’s made a lot of people smile because lets be honest, after the year we’ve had this whole 'It’s coming home' run was exactly what we needed.”
